Yellow Lampmussel Range-Wide Assessment and Conservation
Dates
Start Date
2023-01-01
End Date
2025-09-30
Summary
The Yellow Lampmussel (YLM), Lampsilis cariosa, is a medium-sized freshwater mussel occurring from Georgia, USA to Nova Scotia, Canada (>50% of global population within the Northeast Region). The species is declining throughout its range, is designated as vulnerable by the IUCN (Bogan & Woolnough 2017) and NatureServe (https://explorer.natureserve.org/) and is a Northeast Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need. It is locally designated as endangered, threatened, or a special status in 6 states within the USFWS North Atlantic-Appalachian region (CT, DE, MA, ME, NJ, WV) and 3 additional states (GA, NC, SC) outside of the region, extirpated in NH, vulnerable to apparently secure in NY and PA, and unknown status in MD. YLM is also [...]
Summary
The Yellow Lampmussel (YLM), Lampsilis cariosa, is a medium-sized freshwater mussel occurring from Georgia, USA to Nova Scotia, Canada (>50% of global population within the Northeast Region). The species is declining throughout its range, is designated as vulnerable by the IUCN (Bogan & Woolnough 2017) and NatureServe (https://explorer.natureserve.org/) and is a Northeast Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need. It is locally designated as endangered, threatened, or a special status in 6 states within the USFWS North Atlantic-Appalachian region (CT, DE, MA, ME, NJ, WV) and 3 additional states (GA, NC, SC) outside of the region, extirpated in NH, vulnerable to apparently secure in NY and PA, and unknown status in MD. YLM is also considered a species of special concern in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada.
As with many freshwater mussels species, YLM monitoring, assessment, and conservation planning occurs primarily within states and provinces, with little interaction outside geographic boundaries. Informal comparisons across boundaries have revealed that YLM populations occur in a variety of habitats throughout its range. In some portions of their range they are found only in medium and large rivers; in others, they more commonly occur in lakes and ponds (Nedeau 2008, Swartz & Nedeau 2007). YLM has been described as inhabiting a variety of substrates and flow conditions, with some studies suggesting a preference for riffles and strong currents and others locating YLM in slow currents around sandbars (Sabine et al. 2004, Nedeau 2008). The presence of YLM in varied habitat types across its range suggests that populations may be impacted by different stressors and different approaches may be needed for conservation. Recent YLM surveys are limited and not standardized, making it difficult to assess range-wide status; a comprehensive assessment is critical for understanding species’ habitat and vulnerabilities and facilitating coordinated and resource-efficient conservation and restoration efforts.
An understanding of host fish for YLM is also essential for evaluating the species’ historic and current distribution and developing conservation plans. Studies have confirmed White Perch (Morone americana) and Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) are viable hosts both experimentally (Wick 2006) and in wild populations (Kneeland & Rhymer 2008). Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) is a closely related piscivorous fish that may also be a suitable host for YLM. One study experimentally identified Striped Bass as a host fish for YLM (Eads et al. 2015); however, these fish were infested in laboratory conditions and only a single individual fish was tested for glochidial encystment. While this confirms the theoretical possibility that Striped Bass are a host fish for YLM, it fails to demonstrate that encystment occurs outside of laboratory conditions or on a large scale. An additional study examined naturally parasitized fish and found no YLM glochidia on Striped Bass, but only 2 individuals and 4 glochidia were processed and identified (Kneeland & Rhymer 2008). Observations of YLM glochidial infestation in wild populations of Striped Bass with a larger sample size, combined with successful encystment and metamorphosis in laboratory conditions, would confirm this species as a viable host fish. This would have important implications for the conservation of YLM, with Striped Bass serving as a critical source of long-distance dispersal across drainages, and could also have implications for fish passage, fishway operations, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission relicensing.
A potential pathway for conservation and restoration of YLM is propagation and reintroduction of the species to historic or novel suitable habitat within its range. Methods for propagation of YLM have been developed and successfully implemented (e.g., Martell 2020); however, the identification of suitable habitat for the species remains a challenge. Sites with low numbers of individuals that historically supported large populations where stressors have been identified and mitigated are prime targets for restoration (FMCS 2016). For example, the Penobscot River had two dam removals in 2012 and 2013 that likely adversely impacted mussels (Biodrawversity LLC 2010), but there have been no local assessments of mussel habitat or populations following dam removals. The Connecticut River is another potential location for placing translocated or propagated mussels. Although originally thought to be extirpated from the area, YLM were located within the mainstem of the Connecticut River in 1998 and patches of individuals have since been identified along a 120 km stretch of the river. However, in these and other big river systems, little is known about the quality and quantity of habitats or their association with YLM. Side-scan sonar (SSS) is a hydroacoustic imaging tool ideal for the in-situ identification of habitats in large rivers at scales relevant to the life history of aquatic organisms while reducing the time and expenses necessary for surveys (Kazyak et al. 2020, Kaeser & Litts 2010). Previous studies have used SSS to evaluate habitat suitability for aquatic organisms, including freshwater mussels (Litts & Kaeser 2016, Kaeser et al. 2019). For example, researchers in Florida used sidescan sonar to associate Fat Threeridge presence with habitat and made predictions from those associations to discover a robust population of mussels (Kaeser et al. 2019). We propose to use similar techniques to associate habitat characteristics and YLM presence/absence, providing valuable information to inform site selection for future YLM assessments and potential restoration.
Objectives:
The overall goal of this project is to conduct research to inform and guide conservation and restoration planning for YLM. We will achieve this through four objectives:
Objective 1. Assess landscape-scale threats and identify potential restoration sites for YLM across its range
a. Develop a range-wide landscape scale multi-species distribution model using data from cooperating state agencies and international partners
b. Evaluate associated species assemblages using other mussel and fish distribution
c. Assess landscape patterns of distribution, optimal habitats, and threats based on modeled habitat suitability
Objective 2. Assess the suitability of Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) as host fish for YLM
a. Collect and examine wild Striped Bass for the presence of Yellow Lampmussel glochidia
b. Assess the ability of YLM to successfully encyst and metamorphose using Striped Bass in captivity
Objective 3. Assess habitat for YLM and potential locations for YLM surveys and restoration
a. Use side-scan sonar and GIS tools to characterize and map habitat types within the Connecticut River (MA), Penobscot River (ME), and Potomac (MD) or Nottoway (VA) River
b. Identify habitat suitability for YLM in the Connecticut and Penobscot River watersheds
Objective 4. Establish an interagency YLM working group comprised of mussel experts and managers
